Rushford High School - Valley Legend Yearbook (Rushford, MN)

Page 17 text:

 About the first of July, 1854, it began to rain and on the 5th there was one of the greatest floods in the recollection of the older Indians. It swept everything bofore it. After the flood, the odor from decaying vegotation was almost intolerable. Typhoid fever and ague raged among the settlers in tho Valley. In the lattor part of August, typhoid fevor in its most malignant form onterod Mr. Dyer's home taking first a little girl whom they had adopted the spring before. She was sick about a week. The night she died, their son was taken sick and Mr. Dyer was feeling so poorly that he had to go to bed, so with sickness and death Mrs. Dyer was alone until daylight when Mr. Dyer managed to go to their nearest neighbor, Mrs. Cameron, who came and prepared the little girl for burial. Mr. Dyer went to the south side of the river and found a man who made a coffin and assisted him in burying her. She died on a Saturday night, and on the next Thursday night, little Wallace died. He was buried the next night at midnight. The funeral procession consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Dyer, Mrs. Webster, and two Norwegian men who helped them with the burial. A prayer was offered up in Norwegian by one of the grave-diggers which was comforting to the mourners, although they couldn't understand a word of it. They walked to and from the graves which are on a little hill wrest of the present city of Rushford. During the fall of '54, the question rose as to naming the places and several names were suggested but none decided on until Christmas when Mrs. Dyer made a Christmas supper, December 25, 1854, and invited the whole population. Then and there they decided the name. Mr. Dyer proposed Pomfrct (the Dyers cone from Pomfret, Maine), Mrs. Walker, Rushford for the abundance of rushes that grew along the creek and ford for the ford crossing of tho river. On the back of this page is a copy of the original document made at the time that Rushford was named. The names of the people present at this function appear there except those of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Johnson who went home early on account of a very young baby whom they didn't wish to koep up too late. The babies' name was Charles, and, at present, he is living with his son, Ambrose Johnson, a short distance west of town. (This information was supplied to us by Mrs. Ed. Lampman, a sister of Charles Johnson.) Oco----------------------Ji )■ t A. A

Page 19 text:

But To-day well-lived Kakes every Yesterday A Dream of Happiness, And every To-morrow a Vision of Hope. Principal, Biology, Social Sciences I think we’ll have a little quiz To find out vhat you know. And what is not, and just what is. And who was so-and-so. ✓ • o Senior High English, German Those graceful acts Those thousand decencies that daily flow From all her words and actions. .